


keep telling myself i'm not the desperate type

by Krewlak



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-07-10
Packaged: 2020-06-25 15:12:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19748296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Krewlak/pseuds/Krewlak
Summary: The new kid at school argues with Veronica and it sparks something inside of Jughead.





	keep telling myself i'm not the desperate type

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a tumblr post and a rewrite of a previously posted (and deleted) work. Just needed a break to write something pure fluff.

Veronica sits down at the lunch table with a large smile on her face. Jughead almost rolls his eyes. Almost. He knows that smile. That shit-eating smile that never seems to annoy anyone else but Jughead. When she turns it towards him, his eyes roll of their own volition. He swears after three years, it’s just a jerk reaction to her presence. 

“Why are you smiling like that?” Betty asks, narrowing her eyes. She points a fry at Veronica. “You’re way too excited just for lunch.”

“I have gossip,” Veronica says, leaning forward. Jughead is sure she paints quite the picture leaning over the table, hips lifted and skirt teasing. Betty’s eyes drift downward for a second, captured by Veronica’s obvious cleavage and Jughead nearly groans. “There’s a new guy.”

“That’s not gossip, Veronica,” Betty says, coming back to herself quickly. She gives Jughead a conspiratorial smile, one that he’s happy to return, before looking at Veronica again. “Archie is his student ambassador.”

Veronica pouts and sits back with a huff, completely put out that her juicy gossip was so poorly received. She pulls out her lunch, handing Jughead her bag of chips without him even having to ask, saying, “Whatever. I have third period with him and he’s 100% hunk. Totally your type, B.”

“Are you trying to play matchmaker again?” Betty asks, scrunching her nose up. They all remember the last time Veronica had tried to set Betty up with Reggie Mantle. Jughead cringes a little remembering the weeks that Reggie had graced their table and Veronica mimics him. “We all know that I’m not exactly on the market right now. Especially after your last attempt at matchmaking.”

“Reggie is an outlier and should not be counted,” Veronica replies so quickly that Jughead actually finds himself laughing. 

When both Betty and Veronica look at him with raised eyebrows he shrugs and mumbles, “Even I can’t resist a good meme, okay?”

“I’m just saying,” Veronica continues, shoving an entire strawberry in her mouth. Jughead wonders if anyone has noticed that Veronica’s appetite and eating habits rival his own sometimes. “Should you want to have some fun with some eye candy, I can put a good word in.”

“What a great assessment of his character, Veronica,” Jughead says, saving Betty from having to intervene. “I’m sure he’d appreciate such kind words.”

She doesn’t even spare him a glance as she continues talking to Betty, “Though, I must insist that it stays as just some afternoon delight type fun. He may be a total hunk but I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone so fucking annoying in my life.”

She smiles at Jughead. It’s not nice.

“Other than you, of course,” she says. He sneers, making sure she can see the half chewed food in his mouth. “Charming, darling. Simply charming.”

“Only for you,” he says with a tight lipped smile.

“You guys are cute,” Betty says, looking between the two of them. Veronica scoffs and bites into her sandwich. “How could anyone be more annoying than Jughead?”

“Excuse me?” Jughead asks, turning to her. Betty just pats his arm and offers him the rest of her fries in apology. He crumples the empty bag of chips and tucks into the fries in forgiveness.

“Well, you’re about to find out,” Veronica mutters around a mouthful of sandwich. She perks up instantly, smile plastered onto her face like it’s nothing. Jughead will forever be terrified by her ability to do that. “Archiekins!”

Jughead rolls his eyes at the nickname and makes room for Archie next to him. Instead of Archie though, a total stranger sits down next to him. Archie sits across from him and doesn’t bother introducing the newcomer to the table before shoving half a slice of pizza into his mouth. Betty hands a napkin Archie’s way without having been asked, the gesture almost second nature after years of sharing lunch periods with him. 

The new kid, chiseled jaw and bright red hair pinning him as exactly Betty’s type, holds a hand out to Jughead while he offers his name, “Adam Chisholm.”

Jughead does what he always does: ignores the outstretched hand and continues to eat his fries as he offers his full name in return, “Jughead Jones the Third.”

Adam doesn’t even flinch just offers a simple nod. Jughead narrows his eyes at the lack of response, adding it to the list of reasons why he’s not going to like the kid. Adam doesn’t seem to be bothered by the lack of a warm reception before introducing himself to Betty. Betty’s cheeks are a little pink when Adam turns his attention to her and Jughead is sure that she’s regretting turning down Veronica’s offer for a good word. 

Adam only has eyes for Veronica, though, as he turns to her with a pleasant smile, “Hey Veronica. Hope you’re not still sore over our little debate.”

“What, Adam, would I be sore about exactly?” she asks, narrowing her eyes and tilting her head. Jughead has seen that exact look directed at him more than once. He knows what it means and he’s eager to see someone else be the target for her ire for once. Jughead’s had years to build a callus to it and he’s sure that the new kid has no idea what he’s in for.

“I mean, you did lose,” Adam says easily enough. Veronica inhales sharply and Jughead sees the entire table go still for a moment.

“Veronica Lodge does not lose,” she replies in that high handed voice that she uses when she’s trying to seem superior. Jughead snorts but his derision isn’t enough to distract her this time. “Just because the bell rang in the middle of our discussion doesn’t mean anyone lost anything.”

“Um, what are you guys talking about?” Archie interjects, always the bravest of them all.

“The utter bankruptcy of the twitter age of activism,” Adam replies like he’s reporting the weather. Archie blinks and sits back a little before turning to Betty with raised eyebrows, hoping for some kind of explanation. Betty is just staring at Veronica who is silently fuming. “Nothing is actually getting done because there is no permanency in internet culture. It’s all for show.”

“That’s not true!” Veronica says, shaking her head. “How do you plan on getting any movement going in the age of the Internet? Newsflash! Just because you don’t see it on twitter doesn’t mean the work that Twitter activism inspired isn’t being done.”

“That just seems awfully naive,” Adam says, smiling at her. He pulls an apple from his bag and takes a large bite. Even Jughead has to admit that if he were to face such calm it would drive him just as nuts. “And very trusting of an online mass that statistically shouldn’t be trusted.”

“So, how exactly do expect anything to get done in the age of digital information?” Veronica asks, raising her eyebrows. “How do you expect to get a generation that is glued to their phones to actually pay attention?”

“Well, right there is the problem,” Adam says before biting into his apple again. He doesn’t even bother to finish chewing before continuing to speak. Jughead is shocked that Veronica doesn’t call him on the rude behavior. He’s never gotten away with something like that. “You need to divest the kids from their phones. Cut the ties to the internet and then maybe we can actually get this new generation to care about something other than instagram likes and vine videos.”

“Do you have any idea how cynical that entire mentality is?” Veronica asks after a moment of stunned silence. Jughead is inclined to agree with her. Something that he never thought would happen, let alone happen about something as ridiculous as social media. “It’s 2019, for fuck’s sake! We can’t keep doing things the way they were done thirty years ago. The world has changed since then.”

“Doesn’t mean that it’s changed for the better,” Adam point outs, going so far as to wink at her. 

Betty snorts but both Adam and Veronica ignores her. Veronica is opening her mouth to continue the argument when the bell goes off signaling the end of lunch. The interruption doesn’t stop her though. She grabs Adam by the sleeve of his jacket, dragging her with him out of the kitchen, voice high-pitched and irritated beyond belief. Archie chases after them, reminding Veronica that he was responsible for the new kid and it wasn’t going to look good if she murdered him before the end of the day.

“She wasn’t kidding,” Betty says as she gathers her things. Jughead just makes a noncommittal noise, still trying to process the conversation he’s just witnessed. He’s not sure if he has an opinion yet on Adam or his budding relationship with Veronica. Not that he thinks he should have an opinion on any of Veronica’s relationships. Not that there is a relationship. Jughead shakes his head trying to clear the fog. “I’ve never seen her react like that to anyone but you, Juggie. He must really get under her skin.”

Jughead nods as he puts his bag on his shoulder. That’s what’s bothering him. That reaction. That specific brand of irritation that had always been reserved for their own petty debates over milkshakes and burgers. He pauses for a second, trying to decide why it matters. It shouldn’t. Especially since there’s no guarantee that Adam is going to become a permanent fixture in their little circle. He’s a blip in their senior year, an outlier that should not be counted, but Jughead can’t shake the feeling that everything is about to change. 

Betty calls his name and he promptly pushes all thoughts of Veronica and Adam to the back of his mind. It’s a problem that isn’t really a problem and can definitely be saved to think about after calculus.

* * *

Adam and Veronica arguing becomes a thing as he quickly assimilates to being a part of the group. The arguing is enough of a thing that everyone expects it anytime they disagree on anything. For the first time, Jughead actually feels bad about all of the arguments that he’s shared with Veronica himself. Being on the outside of their battle of wits is unbearably uncomfortable when no one else can get a word in. 

Not that Jughead has been having his own battles with Veronica much lately. With all of her attention on Adam, Veronica has completely forgotten her antagonism towards Jughead. Jughead doesn’t mind. He doesn’t miss having someone criticize literally everything about him. Doesn’t miss having someone disagree with him about everything just because they can. 

It doesn’t make watching Veronica and Adam fight any easier. It still bothers him. Outside of the awkwardness of watching two people rip into each other with obvious relish. He tries to sort out his feelings on his own, ignoring the voice that tells him that the words Veronica and feelings don’t belong in the same sentence. At least not when it comes to him. 

“There’s something off about it all,” Jughead says one afternoon while he edits the school paper with Betty. She looks up from the article that she’s working on, eyebrows raised in a silent question. “Adam and Veronica. The way they act around each other. It’s weird, right?”

“I guess so?” Betty replies with a shrug. “I mean, I’m used to her arguments with you. So it’s not that different to me.”

“You’re telling me that my arguments with Veronica are the same as Adam’s?” Jughead asks slowly. Betty shrugs again, tilting her head back and forth. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“So, they’re not identical,” Betty says. “But it's easy enough to tune out. Don’t worry, Juggie, Adam hasn’t usurped you as Veronica’s least favorite person.”

“That is not what this is about,” Jughead says, holding both hands up.

“Then what is it about?” Betty asks, temporarily giving up on the article she was supposed to be editing. She turns in her seat and raises both eyebrows.

“I don’t know!” Jughead snaps. “Something about him weirds me out. Just one of those feelings.”

“Jughead,” Betty says, reaching out to grab his forearm. “Everyone weirds you out. It's why we love you. You’re the paranoid one in the group.”

“I am not paranoid,” Jughead grumbles, shaking her hand off and crossing his arms. He sinks further down in his chair and almost reaches up to pull his hand further down on his head. He’s sure that if he did the smile that’s spreading across Betty’s face would turn into full blown laughter. 

“How’s your FBI agent doing lately?” Betty asks casually. Jughead rolls his eyes and tugs down his hat anyways. Betty laughs as expected. “Maybe you aren’t being paranoid about Adam though.”

“Really?” Jughead asks, peering at her from under the brim of his hat. 

“Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed,” Betty says narrowing her eyes at him. 

“Noticed what?”

“It’s, like, aggressive flirting,” Betty says, frowning a little at her word choice. “I swear, each argument is like foreplay.”

“Woah!” Jughead shouts, drawing attention from a couple other writers in the Blue and Gold office. He coughs and cracks his neck. “Woah there. I thought you said that their arguments were the same as the ones I’ve had with Veronica.”

“I also admitted that they weren’t identical,” Betty says, rolling her eyes. She’s still smiling but there’s the tiniest bit of smugness that Jughead doesn’t like. “You and Veronica is more a battle of wits. I can follow it and I can tell, usually, that you actually believe what you’re saying. Adam and Veronica, though, is different.”

“Different how?” Jughead asks. He sits up a little and shifts his hat so that his hair flops out at the front again. “I mean. An argument is an argument, right?”

“There’s this little thing called nuance, Mr. Great American Novelist,” Betty says. “I thought you would have figured it out by now.”

“Figured what out?”

“I’m pretty sure Adam just picks fights so that Veronica pays attention to him,” Betty says with a shrug. “Like I said. It’s like foreplay. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before he asks her out.”

As a rule, Jughead has avoided thinking about Veronica’s love life. Not only does he not care, there’s always too much turn over to keep track of who she is and isn’t dating at the moment. Betty knows that. Betty has begged him, on occasion, to teach her his ways. But the thought of Adam and Veronica together tugs on something inside of him in a way that is utterly foreign to him.

“Veronica and Adam though? Do you think she’d actually say yes? If he asked her out, I mean,” Jughead finds himself asking. Betty narrows her eyes at him in a familiar gesture. It’s usually the look she gets on her face when she’s sorting out a tricky math problem. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“It’s something,” Jughead says, waving a finger at her. Betty presses her lips together, failing to suppress the smile that’s reaching her eyes, and shakes her head. “Betty.”

“You’ve never cared about her romances before, that’s all,” Betty says, shrugging again. Jughead is sure that if she shrugs one more time, she’ll pop her shoulder out of place. “I wonder what’s different now?”

“Nothing,” Jughead says quickly. He adjusts his hat and takes a page from Betty’s book, shrugging it off. “Just doesn’t seem like her to, you know, date someone who doesn’t agree with every single ridiculous thing that comes out of her mouth. I mean, have they ever had a conversation? Like a real one. Not an argument.”

“You are not one to talk,” Betty says, pointing her pen at him. “At all.”

“Not the point,” he deadpans. Betty snorts and finally turns back to the story she’s supposed to be editing. “But you’re okay with it?”

"Okay with what?" Betty asks. Jughead can tell that he's losing her attention. She's frowning a little, mouth falling open as she concentrates. She reaches up to adjust her ponytail and starts to chew on the end of her pen.

"Veronica and Adam?" he asks because he's not done examining this twisting feeling in his stomach. Betty just makes a non-committal noise that does nothing to comfort him. Jughead pokes her with his pen and she huffs, looking up from her laptop to stare across the office. "Vadam? What are your thoughts? Betty? Come on. Betty?"

“Jughead! Cut. It. Out," she hisses before standing up and marching away with her laptop. Jughead frowns and gathers his things. He'll just get a ginger ale from the machine. 

* * *

He asks Archie about it next while playing video games. Jughead still hasn’t figured out why the thought of Vadam rubs him the wrong way and Betty refuses to listen to anymore of his complaining. Besides, out of the four of them, Archie is the only one who seems to be able to tolerate Adam’s antics. Jughead chalks it up to the fact that Archie can get along with anyone but maybe there’s a secret insight that he just hasn’t shared with the group.

“Adam? He’s cool, man,” Archie says without looking at Jughead. He bites his tongue and twists his arms as his go cart rounds a corner. Jughead rolls his eyes at the antics and tosses a green shell which finds its mark. “Dammit, Jug.”

“It’s a race, Arch,” Jughead mutters. “Someone has to win. What do you think about him and Veronica?”

“Uh, nothing?” Archie replies. He groans when Jughead takes first place and tosses the controller down as soon as he passes across the finish line. “They argue and stuff but I’m used to that.”

“How can you get used to it? I’m pretty sure he just disagrees with her to be annoying. It’s not like he honestly buys into any of that crap that he’s spouting,” Jughead rambles off without thinking. Archie turns to Jughead with raised eyebrows and a small smirk. “What?”

“Are you, Jughead Jones, defending Veronica Lodge?” Archie asks before laughing because, of course, he can’t control himself. “Dude. What?”

“I am not defending her!” Jughead shouts, throwing a pillow at Archie’s face. “I’m just making the very obvious observation that Adam is a dick to her just to get her riled up.”

“Like you haven’t done that yourself a million times before,” Archie points out once he’s stopped laughing. He tosses the pillow back onto the bed and shoves the last handful of popcorn into his mouth. “I mean, Veronica doesn’t seem to mind. If she didn’t like fighting with him, she wouldn’t do it. You know how she is.”

Jughead nods and flops back onto the bed. He tucks his hands underneath his head and traces patterns in the popcorn ceiling. Again, his mouth runs away with him when he says, “Betty thinks Adam is going to ask Veronica out.”

“Really?” Archie asks. He climbs up on the bed next to Jughead, shoving him against the wall like when they were little kids. Jughead remembers the many sleepovers where they created their own universes in the shapes found in the popcorn ceiling. “He doesn’t really seem to be Veronica’s type.”

“Betty seems to think the exact opposite,” Jughead mutters. 

“How much have you talked to Betty about this?” Archie asks and Jughead can hear the smile in his voice. Can pick up the teasing lilt of each word and groans, covering his face with a pillow. “I’m serious, dude. Ronnie has dated, like, half the senior class and  _ now _ you start paying attention to it?”

“I’m not paying attention to anything,” Jughead mumbles into the pillow. Archie pulls it away from his face and leans over Jughead, eyebrow raised in a silent question. Jughead rolls his eyes and tries to find anything to look at other than Archie’s familiar brown eyes. “I’m not  _ intentionally _ paying attention to anything. It’s just hard to ignore. Especially since I don’t like Adam.”

“You don’t like anyone,” Archie says with a sigh. He lays back down and drops the pillow back over Jughead’s face. “Except for me, Betty, Veronica, and your sister. In that order.”

“Since when does Veronica warrant a spot on that list?” Jughead asks. He tosses the pillow onto the floor and looks at Archie out of the corner of his eye. “And how did she end up higher on the list than JB?”

“Didn’t JB email you to stop sending her your weirdo podcasts and crappy hipster classic rock?” Archie asks. Jughead huffs but doesn’t deny it. That’s exactly what she did and exactly why she’s on his shit list right now. “Besides, you’ve been friends with Ronnie for years now. Despite all the fighting.”

“That’s just it! The fights are perfectly fine examples of why we’re not friends,” Jughead says, sitting up. “Our fights. Her fights with Adam. Aren’t they just, like, huge red flags?”

“I thought we were talking about Adam and Ronnie dating,” Archie replies, sitting up as well. 

“We are,” Jughead says quickly. 

“But you’re lumping your fights into the red flag category. Just like Adam’s,” Archie says slowly. He frowns a little as if he’s puzzling out an exceptionally difficult math problem. Jughead tries not to shift around on the bed too much. He hadn’t realized the comparison that he was making and he hates that Archie picked up on it so fast. “Jug. Do you...are you crushing on Ronnie?”

“What?” Jughead shouts. He sputters for a second before launching himself off of the bed. “You’re nuts, Arch. Nuts. I just don’t like Adam! That’s all this is.”

“I mean, I’d get it,” Archie says with a shrug and a smug smirk that reminds Jughead of Betty. Jughead narrows his eyes at Archie and puts his hands on his hips. He’s trying not to pace the room but instead he’s just tapping his foot. “She’s kinda hard to resist.”

“I don’t like Veronica,” Jughead says slowly, enunciating each syllable. He tries to laugh off the anxious bubbling in his stomach but it’s not convincing even to his own ears. “She’s the worst, dude. Pretentious and lofty and full of herself.”

“Dude,” Archie deadpans. “So are you.”

“I am not!” Jughead huffs. He scrunches his mouth up in irritation before pointing a finger at Archie. “I am nothing like Veronica Ceceila Lodge. Nothing.”

“You know her middle name?” Archie asks. The corners of his mouth start to curl up into a proper smile. “I’d, like, totally forgotten it after we broke up. I bet you know her Pop’s order, too.”

“Shut. Up,” Jughead says through gritted teeth because he does. Of course, he does. Just like he knows Betty’s and Archie’s and JB’s. Jughead’s eyes nearly roll into the back of his head at that thought. He grabs his backpack from where he’d dropped it by the door and clutches it to his chest. “Not a word, Andrews. Not a single fucking word.”

Archie’s laughter chases him out of the house.

* * *

During homeroom, Kevin stops in front of Jughead’s desk with a gleeful smile on his face and his hands clasped in front of him. Jughead looks up from his laptop, eyebrows raised. He doesn’t speak and neither does Kevin. Slowly, Kevin sits down at the desk in front of Jughead. He’s still turned to Jughead and even goes so far as to lean forward, resting his elbow on Jughead’s desk and cradling his chin in the palm of his hand. 

Finally, Jughead’s patience snaps, “What, Kevin?”

“I heard someone has a new crush,” Kevin says slowly. The smile on his face doesn’t dim at all when Jughead glares. He’s going to have to practice it at home to get it back to fear-inducing level. “On a certain socialite whose name rhymes with harmonica.”

“Did you talk to Archie?” Jughead asks. It’s the wrong thing to say when Kevin’s face lights up anew. “Jesus.”

“I have, in fact, not talked to Archibald,” Kevin says. “Just Betty.”

“And what exactly do you think you know?” Jughead asks, lowering his voice. He looks around the classroom but, of course, no one is paying attention to them. He’s sure that if anyone were to pay attention to them, they’d just assume that Kevin was filling him on his column for the paper. 

“Just that Adam gets on your nerves and it has less to do with who is as an actual person and more to do with who he’s been aggressively flirting with,” Kevin rambles off quickly. He shrugs. “I drew my own conclusions from there.”

“Those are some pretty...out there conclusions,” Jughead says. He leans back in his chair and crosses his arms. If he can’t glare Kevin into submission, then he’s sure that he can use his natural apathy instead. “Even for you, Kev.”

“You forget, Jughead Jones, that I do spend time with Ronnie,” Kevin says, rolling his eyes. “Ronnie and you. Trust me. My conclusion isn’t  _ that _ outlandish from where I’m sitting.”

“And where are you sitting?” Jughead asks. Kevin drops his hand and gives Jughead a dry look. “You know what I mean, Keller.”

“You know me,” Kevin replies. “Always looking for new stories for my gossip column.”

“You’re not going to publish anything about me and Veronica,” Jughead says in as stern a voice as he can. 

Kevin, of course, pounces on that, “So there is a you and Veronica, then?”

“No!” 

“I mean, it wouldn’t be the most shocking relationship to grace Riverdale High’s halls,” Kevin continues. He taps a finger on his chin. “There was, of course, Chic Cooper and Ethel Muggs going to homecoming together freshman year. And, naturally, the out-of-the-closet stunner that was Beronica. Though they were competing for that title with Choni. I’m sure Cheryl orchestrated the whole thing just to one-up Veronica. She  _ would _ do that. And we can’t forget the coming together of McMantle - talk about a power couple!”

“You know everyone hates those couple nicknames that you come up with,” Jughead interrupts. Kevin rolls his eyes. “I’m telling you - nothing is going on with me and Veronica. I just don’t like Adam. It’s not that deep.”

Kevin watches Jughead for a long minute before sighing and leaning forward a little more. He lowers his voice and softens his smile as he says, “I’m just saying, Jughead. That if you do have a thing for Veronica, we support you and think that a Jeronica team-up wouldn’t be the weirdest thing to happen here.”

“You’ve already come up with a name for a relationship that doesn’t exist?” Jughead mutters. He wipes at his eyes with the back of his hand and sighs. It’s too damn early for this shit. “And who is we? Are you talking about me behind me back, Kevin?”

“You know I am. It’s what I do,” Kevin says as he stands up. “Just think about what I said, yeah?”

Jughead doesn’t have the chance to say anything back before the bell rings and Kevin hurries from the classroom. Jughead stares after him and the, at this point, familiar twisting of his stomach starts up again.

* * *

He doesn’t mean to stumble on them. It’s an accident. A cosmic prank from the universe to fuck with his already fucked up mind. It’s the only explanation for why he’s the one to see them together. He’d gone to the library to write during lunch. He’d had enough of Veronica and Adam’s arguments, enough of Betty and Archie’s knowing smirks and it was too hot to sit out by the bleachers. All he’d wanted some privacy, some peace of mind, some goddamn quiet. That’s what libraries were  _ for _ after all. 

He’s heading to his usual corner, laptop already open and balanced precariously on his palm, when he notices Veronica and Adam already crowded into the space. They’re inches apart and in the middle of yet another Lodge-Chisholm showdown. Jughead frowns and shuts his laptop, fully prepared to interrupt them and send them back to the cafeteria. He’s not going to give up his corner just because they’ve decided they didn’t want an audience for once. 

He takes a step forward but stops when Adam reaches a hand out to cup the back of Veronica’s head. The whole scene seems to slow down as Adam pulls Veronica forward, pressing his mouth against her. Jughead knows that he should look away, knows that he’s moving from casual observer to total creep the longer he stands there, but he can’t get his feet to move. 

Veronica is just as caught off-guard as Jughead. Her eyes widen and her hands flounder around Adam’s shoulders before finally dropping to her sides. Adam doesn’t seem to notice, wrapping an arm around Veronica’s waist and pulling her in tight. Jughead’s stomach twists itself into knots and his chest feels tight. 

He’s seen enough. He knows he has but his feet still won’t move. Adam slides his hand up into Veronica’s hair and groans a little and finally Jughead springs into action. That action being dropping his laptop right on his toe and grunting in a mixture of horror and pain. Adam and Veronica jerk away from each other, turning towards Jughead. Adam looks irritated by the interruption but Veronica won’t meet his eye. 

“Don’t mind me. Just breaking my toe with the most precious thing that I own,” Jughead mutters as he reaches down to grab his laptop. 

“No worries,” Adam says. His arm is still wrapped around Veronica’s waist. Jughead can’t look away from that spot of connection. “I should probably get going. I wanted to talk to Coach about Friday’s game. I’ll see you later?”

The question is directed at Veronica but Jughead answers, “Oh, I’m sure you will.”

That gets Veronica’s attention on him. Her cheeks are pink but he thinks it’s more from embarrassment than it is from her previous exertions. Adam looks between the two of them before slowly pulling his arm from Veronica’s waist. He looks like he’s going to lean in for another kiss but Veronica hasn’t looked at Adam once since they realized that Jughead was there. 

Adam straightens his jacket and sniffs loudly before marching away. Jughead turns to watch him go and when he turns back Veronica is in his space. Her hands reach out for his laptop, yanking it from his grasp before he can stop her. She inspects each corner and opens it, tapping the mousepad to make sure that it still turns on. 

“What are you doing?”

“Just making sure it isn’t actually broken,” Veronica mutters. She closes it and holds it back out to him. “Wouldn’t want anything to happen to the next great American novel. I’m sure you don’t have a backup saved anywhere.”

“Thanks,” Jughead says softly. He hugs the laptop to his chest and looks anywhere but at Veronica. 

“So,” she says, swinging her arms back and forth before clasping her hands in front of her. “How much of that did you actually see?”

“Enough,” Jughead says. His stomach hasn’t relaxed and the tightness in his chest hasn’t faded either. He hates that he’s having a reaction to this whole thing. Hates that Archie and Betty and, fuck, even Kevin might just be right about everything, after all. 

He’d been willing to admit that he’s missed Veronica these past few weeks, missed whatever twisted friendship they shared. But the thoughts running through his mind are ones that are entirely foreign to him. Thoughts about how nice Veronica looks with kissed pink lips. How he wishes that he had been the one to turn them that particular shade. 

“I’m not going to say anything,” Jughead says after the moment of silence stretches on for too long. “If that’s what you’re worried about. It’s your love life.”

Veronica blinks and stands up straight. She curls her hands into fists and looks away from him for a second before speaking, “Adam Chisholm is  _ not _ part of my love life.”

“Right.”

She narrows her eyes and crosses her arms, “Is that doubt I hear in your voice, bargain bin Cobain?”

“You were just playing tonsil hockey with the guy, Queen of the Damned,” Jughead says, holding his hands up in surrender. “Retract your claws. It’s a fair assumption to make.”

“Adam just got the wrong idea,” Veronica mutters, shaking her head. “I called him a hunk  _ once  _ but that doesn’t mean anything.”

“News to me,” Jughead mutters. 

“I don’t like him like that,” Veronica mutters to herself. It’s almost like she’s forgotten that he’s even there. “Why does everyone think I like him like that?”

“Who is everyone?” he asks because he can’t help himself.

Veronica just gives him a look, pursing her lips a little before she answers, “You,  _ apparently _ . Practically the entire Vixen squad lead by Cheryl, of course. All week they’ve been hounding me about my supposed fling with Adam.”

“Hey, I don’t think anything,” Jughead says. He adjusts his hat and shifts his weight from foot to foot. He doesn’t know why she’s explaining herself to him. He might have lost his mind and developed a crush on her without realizing but that didn’t mean she did too. That didn’t mean that she owed him any sort of explanation. “I just know what I saw.”

“And what do you think you saw?”

“Come on, Veronica,” Jughead says, rolling his eyes. “It was pretty obvious.”

“He kissed me!” she snaps. “I didn’t kiss him back!”

“You didn’t stop him either,” Jughead points out. 

“Are you victim blaming me?” she asks, crossing her arms. 

“Jesus! No!” Jughead shouts. He quickly looks around to make sure he hasn’t drawn the librarian’s wrath before clearing his throat. He shakes his head, looking down at his feet. “It’s just. You didn’t seem to hate it. Or anything. That’s all.”

“Adam is the most obnoxious boy I’ve ever met!” Veronica says quickly. She inhales sharply. “And I am honestly insulted that you think I would ever be interested in someone like that! All we ever do is argue!”

“All we ever do is argue,” Jughead points out.

He almost closes his eyes at how pathetic he sounds. But he figures that’s just admitting defeat and maybe Veronica won’t say anything. She just blinks at him, eyes growing comically wide as she looks at him. She clears her throat and looks away from him while tucking her hair behind her ears.

“Well, you’re not Adam, are you?” Veronica asks and Jughead has no idea how to even answer that.

“No but that’s not really the point I’m making,” Jughead says slowly. He doesn’t know what point he’s trying to make but he’s a reporter and he knows an evasion when he hears one. Okay, he’s a high school reporter but it doesn’t make his instincts any less right.

“And what point are you making?” she asks because, of course, she picks up on that dropped thought.

“You, apparently, hate Adam,” Jughead says. “Because he argues with you all the time. But do you hate me?”

“What do you think, Jones?” she asks, arching a single eyebrow slowly. 

She smooths her hands over her skirt and lets out a slow breath that schools her face into its usual haughty arrogance before she spins on her heel and walks away. Jughead stares after her, completely bewildered, before shoving his laptop into his backpack and chasing after her.

“Veronica!” he calls after her retreating form. She stops but doesn’t turn around to face him. He’s not even sure if he wants her to face him. He’s not even sure what he’s going to say. “Is there . . . I’m not Adam.”

She slowly turns on a heel and looks at him with a frown, “Thank you, Captain Obvious.”

Jughead rolls his eyes and shoves his hands into his pockets. He marches up to her and notices for the first time just how short she is, even in heels. He towers over her small frame and he’s sure that were it anyone else in this school they would be intimidated. Veronica, though, just stares up at him with her usual smugness making his eye twitch in irritation.

“I’m not Adam and you made it seem like that mattered,” he says through clenched teeth. 

“It does,” she replies without any explanation. “At least to me.”

“Why?” he practically begs. He’s sure that later when he has time to replay this moment over, he’ll regret just how whiny he sounds.

“Why do you care?” she snaps. “You’ve never cared about my romantic entanglements before, so why now?”

He stares at her with wide eyes for a long minute before he’s capable of finding any words, “Romantic entanglements? Veronica, I asked about you and me!”

“Well,” she starts but her mask of smug confidence is slowly draining away. Jughead hasn’t seen her so unsure of herself since she first moved to Riverdale. “We started talking about Adam’s ill-timed crush and all of the speculation surrounding my relationship with him. Excuse me for getting my wires slightly crossed.”

It’s a weak excuse and they both know it. Jughead doesn’t call her out on it. He has enough running through his head that he doesn’t feel like adding anything else to the cacophony. He falls back on old habits and scoffs before rolling his eyes and marching away. He’s not entirely sure if he’s happy or not that she doesn’t follow.

* * *

After the incident in the library, he avoids. All of them. Avoids Adam and his devil’s advocacy. Avoids Betty and her subtle smirks. Avoids Archie and his not to subtle smirks. Avoids Kevin and his wide smiles. He goes back to the life of solitude that he hasn’t lived since his was fifteen and living in a janitor’s closet. He gets to school just before the first bell and leaves before the last bell of the day. He knows it’s the coward’s route but he doesn’t know what else to do until he’s figured out what to do about Veronica.

He pulls it off for almost two weeks without interference. He’s honestly shocked that Betty and Archie leave him be for that long but it isn’t either of them that comes knocking at the trailer door one Saturday morning.

Jughead jerks awake on the couch, the book he fell asleep reading tumbling to the floor. He runs a hand through his hair and looks around the living room, jerking again when the knocking continues. Slowly, he stumbles up and squints in the sunlight as he opens the front door. His dad’s truck is gone but there’s a black town car pulling away in a cloud of dust. 

“Jesus, I thought you’d died in there or something,” Veronica says from the bottom of the steps. 

Jughead frowns down at her and tries to process what he’s seeing. She isn’t wearing her usual heels and designer skirt. Her hair is pulled up into a messy bun and either he’s losing his eyesight or she’s wearing glasses. He’s sure that he’s never seen her so dressed down. She holds up the to-go cup of Pop’s coffee and waves it in his face, “You going to let me in, Fosythe?”

“I didn’t know you owned jeans,” Jughead points out. It's the least he can do if she’s going to be using his given name. Veronica scoffs, disbelief coloring her features. He decides he might as well commit and points at her feet. “Or sneakers.”

“Shut up,” she snaps and shoves one of the to-go cups at him before shoving past him into the trailer. Jughead watches as she makes herself comfortable in his space before sighing and shutting the door behind her. “The least you could do is say thank you for the coffee.”

“Trying to lower my defenses with caffeine?” he asks as he sips from the cup. Of course, it’s made exactly the way he likes it. He decides to attribute it to Pop’s knowing his coffee order and not Veronica knowing anything about him. “So, to what do I owe this impromptu visit?”

“You’ve been avoiding me,” she says, cutting right to the heart of the matter and staring him down the whole time. He scratches at the back of his head and shits a little under her glare. It’s not fair that she can make him so twitchy in his own space. “And I want to know why.”

“Why do you think it’s you?” Jughead asks. “I’m a misfit. I could just be struggling internally.”

“Jughead, you haven’t been a misfit since sophomore year,” Veronica says, rolling her eyes. “Betty and Archie are worried but they want to give you space. Well, I say that’s nonsense. So, just get whatever it is that’s bothering you about me this week off your chest and start sitting with us at lunch again.”

“Not everything is about you, Veronica,” he mutters. She just stares at him with wide eyes, silently urging him to just give it up. Jughead clenches his jaw and breathes out loudly through his nose. He can feel the muscle under his eye beginning to tense up, getting ready to twitch in that way that only Veronica seems to inspire. “Fuck. Fine. I’m all good on being witness to you and Adam’s little debates. Happy?”

Veronica frowns and jerks back a little, “Adam? You’re freaking out over the thing with Adam ?”

Jughead rolls his eyes and chugs down the rest of his coffee, ignoring the way it scalds his tongue. It’s enough of a distraction to clear his head, to quiet the ringing in his ears. He turns his back for a moment to put his cup down, lets out a slow breath. His heart is pounding of out control and he knows that he’s going to say something stupid the second his mouth is available. Veronica, to her credit, waits patiently with a raised eyebrow for him to pull himself together.

“What?” Jughead snaps before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. She shrugs and give him what he guesses should be a look of innocence. She sips from her coffee again and picks up the book that he had been reading. She’s all nonchalance as she reads the book cover, smirking a little at the description. Jughead doesn’t buy the little act that she’s putting on but he’s determined to wait her out.

“Dammit, Jones!” she finally snaps, throwing the book at him. Somehow, he reacts fast enough to bat it away before it hits his chest. Veronica has the audacity to actually look surprised for a split second. “I told you in the library that there is nothing going on between me and Adam. I know it and he knows it, okay?”

“What. Are. You. Talking about?” Jughead asks. “I don’t give a shit about you and Adam!”

“Then why are you freaking out about him? Ever since he started arguing with me you’ve been fucking weird!” Veronica hisses as she shoots up from the couch, coffee abandoned on the coffee table. She marches up to him and pokes him in the chest. “What is your deal?”

“It’s our thing!” he shouts, making her jump back. Her eyes are huge and she almost looks scared. It’s not a good look on her. “Arguing! Pissing each other off! Irritating everyone with our debates! That’s our thing and fucking Adam ruined it!”

“Jesus Christ,” Veronica mutters. She pushes at her temples with both hands and inhales loudly through her nose. “What are you talking about? How is arguing our thing? Since when do we have a  _ thing _ ?”

“Don’t do that,” Jughead says with a sneer, shaking his head. “You know what I mean.”

“Fine,” she says through clenched teeth. “Say I do know what you mean. Adam didn’t ruin anything.”

“Yes he did!” Jughead insists.

“How?” she asks, looking completely baffled.

Jughead clenches his jaw, “You said that I’m not Adam. That that mattered. And Betty made some comment about arguing that’s actually flirting. And Adam thought the same thing! And what does that say about us? About our arguments?”

“Oh my god,” she says, closing her eyes and shaking her head. “You’re a thirteen year old with a crush!”

“What?” Jughead asks, jerking back.

“You’re. Jealous,” Veronica says. Jughead shakes his head and starts to protest. “Yes you are! You’re jealous that everyone thought that there was something going on with Adam and not you!”

“That is not what this is!” Jughead says, shaking his head.

“Yes it is!” she insists but her tone is more teasing than anything and he feels something inside him unclench. She looks up at him through her lashes. “Don’t worry, Torombolo, you haven’t been replaced in my affections.”

“Oh please,” Jughead mutters, rolling his eyes. He turns away from her and crosses his arms. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

“Come on, Jones,” Veronica says with a slight laugh. She touches his jaw a little, turning his face back to her. She’s smiling so brightly that he’s surprised that he isn’t blinded. He knows that smile, remembers it being directed at Archie, Reggie, and Betty in the height of their relationships with Veronica. Never at him though. “Can’t I revel a little?”

“What, exactly, is there to revel in?” he asks, knowing full well that he sounded petulant.

“Jughead Jones the third,” she says slowly as if she were savoring each syllable on her lips. Her hand drags down his neck and rests comfortably on his chest. He’s sure they’ve never been this close before. He can smell her perfume, floral and musty like Fox Forest in full bloom. “The man who proclaimed himself a weirdo and proud of it three years ago.”

“Am I ever going to live that down?” he groans, knowing the answer.

“Absolutely not,” she replies without missing a beat. But her smile. Her smile hasn’t dimmed an inch. “It took three years for you to warm up to me, Jughead. It is a momentous occasion.”

“Fuck off,” he mutters but the corner of his mouth is ticking up just the tiniest bit. “I haven’t admitted to anything.”

“You don’t have to,” she says, shaking her head. Her voice is lowered slightly and her eyes keep flicking to his mouth. She licks her lips and Jughead unintentionally tracks the movement. Her fingers twitch on his chest, fingers digging into his shirt just a little. “Just. Tell me if I’m wrong. Please.”

Jughead swallows the lump in his throat and tries to breathe. Her eyes are on his mouth and her lips are slightly parted. He doesn’t think he’s ever seen yearning on Veronica’s face before but he thinks he likes it. He licks his lips and reaches out a hand towards her hip. His fingers brush her side as he answers, “You’re not wrong.”

He barely has time to brace himself before she’s launching herself at him. Her arms go around his neck and his around her waist as her lips land on his own. She cups the back of his head and Jughead sinks into the kiss. Her lips are sticky with lipgloss and her nails are digging into scalp, tugging on his hair, pulling him impossibly closer. She kisses him like she’s starving for him, like she wants to devour him whole and he doesn’t mind.

He pulls away desperate for air and presses his forehead against hers. She’s half-climbed onto his lap as he leans back against the TV stand. He’s cupping her ass, holding her up with one hand. His other hand is buried in her hair, the curling black locks twisted up in his fingers.

“For the record,” she whispers against his lips. “Arguing with you is foreplay.”

“Jesus,” he mutters before leaning in to kiss her again. She laughs into his mouth and tugs him impossibly closer, pressing her every curve against him. “I’m not going to argue with you every time you’re horny.”

She rolls her eyes and runs a hand through his hair, tugging. He tries to protest but she leans into the snag his bottom lip between her teeth. He groans and his eyes roll back into his head. She kisses away the sting and says softly, “Torombolo, you have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into.”

“Oh I’m looking forward to finding out,” he says as he cups her jaw and tilts her head with his thumb so that he kiss her properly. She hums into the kiss and loosens her grip on his hair a little. “I really am.”


End file.
